


musings on a regular life

by DirtyBrian



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:04:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8007286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DirtyBrian/pseuds/DirtyBrian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During an excursion into the lesser-used rooms in the TARDIS, Rose finds something that will force her and the Doctor to have a frank discussion about their future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	musings on a regular life

There are thousands of artifacts in the TARDIS, scattered in various rooms. Millions, probably, if the Doctor could ever be bothered to really look. There are rooms he hasn’t been in in hundreds of years, and rooms he’s never actually been in. The TARDIS is his ship, but he’d be lying if he said that he knew every nook and cranny of her depths. 

 

That being said, the Doctor was fairly certain that the TARDIS would have let him know if there was anything fascinating enough to warrant the look that was currently on his companion’s face. Rose was gazing down at a small item with what he could only describe as longing. She’d found a fair few things in their exploration of the TARDIS- dresses, jewelry, 33rd century makeup that never expired- but nothing that had her looking quite like this.

 

They’d been at this for two days now. The friction contrafibulator had been acting up, and the TARDIS refused to move while she was being repaired. Most of the work had been done, but they needed to give her a few days’ rest before she’d be ready to move from the Vortex. So, the Doctor had suggested they explore some of the lesser-used rooms in the TARDIS, something Rose readily agreed to.

 

“What’d you find there?” He bounded over to her and dropped to his knees, trying to crane his neck to get a glimpse of what was cupped in her hands. To his surprise, though, she jerked away from him, cheeks flushing.

 

“S’nothing. Just...nothing.” She avoided his gaze and hid her hands behind her back, looking extraordinarily guilty. The Doctor was mystified.

 

“Well, it’s clearly not nothing. Not with the way you’re reacting to it.” He scooted a bit closer, torn between concern and amused curiosity at her reaction. “It’s not something alive is it? Who knows what I’ve got in here anymore.” He meant the words as a joke, but was suddenly slightly concerned…. _ was  _ there anything else living on the TARDIS? He looked around the room, somewhat distracted until he saw Rose tucking the object into her pocket. She still refused to meet his eyes, and he felt a little niggle of worry. 

 

“S’just…” she sighed and looked down at her fingers. “It’s nothing, Doctor, I promise. Just found something n’ it got me thinking.” She looked up at him, finally, and plastered a bright smile on her face. “I promise I’m fine, yeah?”

 

He looked at her carefully, gauging her facial expressions. She looked back with wide, innocent eyes, but he could see the tightness around her mouth and her carefully guarded expression. He wanted to press the issue further, but she obviously wanted him to take the hint and drop it. Now, some might say he was occasionally dense (present company included), but he knew very well that she didn’t want to talk about...whatever was suddenly bothering her. He wasn’t normally one to disregard her wishes, but in this instance his concern won out.

 

“Nope, nice try.” He settled down next to her and crossed his legs, trying not to concentrate on how their knees were touching. This wasn’t the moment for it. “C’mon, Rose. It’s my TARDIS. There’s nothing you can show me that will shock me.”

 

“You were the one who was just worried about there being something alive.” she said pointedly, and he was pleased to see a smirk on her lips. She seemed to contemplate for a moment, then sighed, reaching around towards her back pocket. “It’s really nothing,” she murmured, fingers clasped around something small. “It just..I started thinking when I saw it.” Hesitantly, she uncurled her fingers, and his eyebrows shot up at what he saw.

 

“Where did you find this?” He breathed, reaching out to run a finger along the edge of the rose gold band. “I haven’t seen this little thing in...oh, hundreds of years.” He scooted closer to Rose and plucked the ring from her hand, holding it up to the light.

 

“It was in a box over there,” Rose nodded over to the shelf she’d been rooting through. “S’beautiful. What’s it from?”

 

“From? Oh, nowhere really. It belonged to someone else who traveled with me. But I’ve had it for a very, very long time.” His voice was distant, distracted as he momentarily became lost in old memories of Barbara and Ian, of how Ian had bought the ring at an outpost, planning on giving it to Barbara as an anniversary gift. He’d never gotten the chance.. Shaking himself slightly, he looked back up at his blonde companion. “Why were you acting so strangely about it? It’s just a ring.”

 

Rose flushed slightly. “I dunno. It just...it seemed strange seeing an engagement ring in your stuff.” She shrugged, embarrassed. “Just made me think…”

 

“It made you think of all the things you’ll never have if you stay with me.” He didn’t have to look at her for confirmation. “A life, a family, a husband who loves you.” His words were bitter, and even as he said them, he regretted them. “I don’t blame you.”

 

“That’s not what I was going to say, Doctor,” she protested quietly. She stared down at her fingernails, nervously worrying her lip. “I’d rather be here with you than have any of that.”

 

He looked at her, eyebrow arched. “Really? You’d rather risk your life with someone who…” He paused, took a deep breath. “Someone who can never give you any of that? Is that what you want, Rose?”

 

She huffed and shifted her position, reaching forward to take his hand. “Doctor, listen to me. You make me happy. This life makes me happy.” She gestured around her. “And yes, I would rather be out here, exploring the universe with you than end up with a normal life.” Her gaze dropped to the ring that he was still holding. It was beautiful, really; it didn’t deserve the disgusted glare he was currently giving it. She picked it up gently, fingers wrapping around the metal in an almost reverent fashion.

 

“I’m always going to miss out on something, Doctor,” she murmured, still looking at the ring, and his hearts constricted. 

 

“Rose-” He began to apologize; she knew the next words that were coming out of his mouth, and she shushed him gently.

 

“Please don’t, Doctor,” she begged quietly, closing her fingers around the ring and hiding it from view. “Please don’t beat yourself over something that’s out of your control. I’m  _ happy _ with you, and m’not going anywhere, all right? Just because I’m bein’ silly over a little piece of jewelry doesn’t change that.” She smiled at him, all warmth and happiness, and he felt the knot in his stomach loosen.

 

“Even if you won’t end up with a ring like this?” He placed his hand over hers, silently marveling at the soft warmth of her skin.

 

“Oh, this little thing?” She shot him a teasing wink. “You’ve seen the jewelry I’ve found at marketplaces over the years. What makes you think I need a ring?” Her other hand came up to her neck, pulling out the chain that held her TARDIS key. “This is the only piece of jewelry I need, Doctor. And it’s more important to me than any silly ring could ever be.”

 

“You’d better hold onto it then” he teased gently, ignoring the slight thickness in his voice. Their eyes met, and he drank her in for a moment, this pink and yellow human who had given up so much to be with him. Her fingers laced through his, and he held onto her as though she was a lifeline (which, he would admit only to himself, she was).

 

“I will,” she said solemnly. She looked at him so steadily that for a moment, his mind flashed to other possibilities, other timelines when she might have said those words to someone else. To some unbelievably lucky human bloke in some trite human ritual that he’d give the rest of his regenerations to be a part of. And it killed him that he could never tell her that. But maybe...maybe he could show her. Someday.

 

Her lips curved up in a small smile, which he returned automatically. The tension in the air suddenly seemed stifling, and he thought wildly for a way to change the subject.

 

“Did you see the Metronian artwork over there?” He hopped up and gestured towards the far corner of the room. “I’ve had it in the TARDIS for over two hundred years. The bloke who painted them wanted me to marry his daughter.” He grimaced, remembering the...awkward encounter. “She was in love with the local barmaid, and they ran away together. Ended up in the foothills outside the city. Her father sent people after them, but they were never brought back. Fascinating couple, really.” He was babbling, he knew, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself.

 

Rose smiled. “Did they live happily ever after?” She came up next to him to examine the intricate swirls of blue and grey along the canvas. He smiled and glanced down at her; she was transfixed by the painting.

 

“Yeah,” he whispered, never taking his eyes off her. “Yeah, they did.”


End file.
